Years Before the Life
by Hartlessmaya
Summary: A pregnant Lorelai Gilmore runs away from the life she never wanted to know, and stumbles across a stranger one night when she's lost. The stranger introduces her to the town of Stars Hollow, inspiring her to start a whole new life there.
1. Coffee, please

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of the character in it.**_

 _Hey, I know I didn't finish writing my first story, but I was absolutely dying to write a preseries Javajunkie FanFiction. I know so many people write stuff like this, but I love it. Please enjoy, and don't forget to_ _ **review**_ _because I love reading your guy's opinions to make my story better. Thanks_!

Lorelai Gilmore held her breath as she anticipated for the clock to strike twelve, waiting to make sure her parents were fast asleep. She assumed they probably were since they were old for their young age, but she just wanted to confirm.

As Lorelai listened closely for any sound of movement coming from her parents' bedroom, Father Time slowly changed his clock to midnight. Immediately, distant church bells started to ring twelve times in a row. A normal family would've awoken from the obnoxious noise, groaning as they used their pillows to cover their ears from the clamor that woke them up in the first place.

The Gilmore family was different. When the church bells rang, they entered the state of Rapid Eye Movement, which is also known as REM. The sound caused their Grinch-like hearts to believe it was some sort of soundmachine, and not the music the bells bellowed so loudly.

Lorelai Gilmore knew greed was in her parent's hearts, which is why she had to leave. She couldn't bear to live in the place ruled by _Republicans_ , especially since they could afford so much but give so little. As much as her parents argued with her, it always felt like her opinions were more valid, more informed, and better researched.

Lorelai slowly crept out of bed, letting the bells' beautiful song be heard by her ears. Only did she pick up the song the bells' loudly bellowed.

She finally exhaled the breath she was holding in for so long, steadying her respiration after a moment of hyperventilation, since she hadn't inhaled oxygen for a few long seconds.

Lorelai Gilmore knew her parents were asleep. The thought caused the lateral commissure of her lip to form a small smile.

She was almost free.

Lorelai carefully opened the latch on her bedroom window like it was a glass jar, trying to avoid any loud noises that might be triggered by it.

Although the church bells soothed the Gilmores to fall into a state of Rapid Eye Movement, Emily could wake up at any moment. She had the ears of a bat. Any sudden noise that seemed anything at all unusual, caused her mother to wake up. Her initial reaction would be to check on Lorelai since she had a tendency to sneak out often.

She pushed the window open as fast as she could because it had a tendency to make a lot of noise when it opened slowly, like a door with the hinges on backwards.

The cool breeze quickly ran it's way inside the house, which Lorelai loved. She stuck her head out the window, getting a sense of the fresh air she was about to escape into. Her dark, curly hair blew behind her like it was from a scene from Titanic.

She was about to leave...forever…

Lorelai exhaled as she looked behind herself, giving her room one last look before she ran off into the unknown. She almost felt sorrow in the deepest part of her stomach when she saw her dollhouse in the corner of her room: the best part of her childhood.

When Lorelai was little, there was nothing she wanted more than a "normal" kid's room: horribly painted walls with a color too bright, a small bed that she could fall off of, and a shelf full of the books she was never allowed to read.

She patted the men's casual bag (a man purse) that was filled with the books that she had stolen or hidden in her room for all of these years: War and Peace, Moby Dick, Sense and Sensibility, Grapes of Wrath, etc. The bag also had about two-hundred dollars in it, just in case she needed it. Other than two changes of clothes, that was about it. She didn't bring much since she was starting a new life. You didn't need anything to do that.

Lorelai gave her room one last look, spotting the very depressing note on her desk, which she had left for her parents. She had hoped they would find it without trouble, and they wouldn't grieve that she was gone.

After all, how she could stay when she was forced to marry a man she didn't love. She just couldn't. Maybe, she'd come back when things cooled down (in about a decade or so), but it wasn't expected.

Lorelai climbed out of the window, and carefully planted both feet on the gutters, making sure she didn't fall on the ground twenty feet below.

She started to breathe a little heavier when she realized how high she was, especially when she was in such a fragile condition.

If she fell, two died.

As Lorelai always did when she snuck out, she carefully turned around one hundred and eighty degrees to face the tree five feet away. She grasped the stone and expensive roofing with her fingers, while her fingernails clawed into the dried mortar. Lorelai also tried as hard as she could to not let her gym shoes slip on the extremely sturdy, wet gutters.

She really didn't feel like dying tonight.

Lorelai exhaled heavily as she looked below her once more, seeing how far up she was. Vomit slowly started to rise in her throat as she quickly averted her gaze by looking up at the tree face to face. As Lorelai tried to pull herself together, she suddenly became aware of how dizzy she was, and knew she had to jump to the tree quickly.

Instead of having the strap of her purse on the shoulder closest to the bag, she pulled it over her neck and onto the shoulder furthest from it, a feeling that made her feel quite adventurous.

She bit her down on her lip hard, trying to feel some pain to help wake up a little. If only she were allowed to drink some coffee! Lorelai brought both of her hands in front of herself, like she was in a defensive position in basketball, and started to swing both of her arms back and forth in order to start picking up momentum. As she picked up more and more impetus, her purse started to swing back and forth to the rhythm her body moved. Then, she jumped.

As she was in the air, she felt that split second of freedom, and it overcame her. She felt like she could have flown, that's how good it felt. Sadly, the feeling only lasted half a second. It ended when she crashed into the tree she was supposed to grab.

Her original plan was to jump onto the thick branch that was next to the trunk so she could easily climb down, but she jumped the wrong way. Instead of landing on the branch, her chest hit the trunk, causing a _thawk_ sound effect. To which, Lorelai replied with a groan, cutting her lip as she bit it harder.

If she didn't have such quick reflexes, Lorelai would've died that night. As she started to fall, she hit a few branches and leaves, while the bark caused whatever was hit to bleed. Lorelai was terrified.

She saw the last branch to the tree below her, realizing if she didn't do something she'd die. Lorelai reached her hands out, ready to grab it, not worried at all about hurting them. As she started to fall past the branch, she used all of her strength to catch it, causing both of her hands to sting with unbearable pain. She bit down on her lip even harder from it, cursing to herself as she realized she was dangling from the tree.

All worry was lost when she looked down, realizing the jump wasn't that far, and she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.

Lorelai let go of the branch, her feet vibrating as they hit the mud-covered ground, causing her white gym shoes to become dirty. She didn't really care. The first thing she did was hold both her hands together as tightly as possible, trying to get rid of the unbearable pain that stung like one thousand bee stings.

She knew she had to deal with the pain for a little while longer because she had longed to leave for almost all of her life. She didn't want to get caught.

Lorelai stopped rubbing her hands together, wincing in pain as the stinging got worse once she removed them. She rubbed her stomach since it started to hurt, whispering, "Are you okay in there?"

Of course, there was no answer.

Lorelai gripped the strap of her purse with her right hand, walking away from her house. Her plan was to never see this place again.

 _ **I really hoped you guys liked this! Don't forget to write a review because I love those. Thank you for reading, and hopefully you want to read more!**_


	2. Andrew Clark and the Screw Up

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or anyone in it._**

 _Thank you all so much for all the wonderful reviews! I love how you all noticed the writing style I wrote in. For some reason, it make me feel good! Please write more!_

The clouds' light cry turned into a heavy bawl as Lorelai Gilmore walked under they're breakdown for the third night since she ran away.

The tears covered her hair, clothes, and skin, but the bag remained untouched as she shielded it with her right arm.

As her stomach roared louder than the thunder, Lorelai covered it with her damp, blood-covered hand, hoping it'd stop. Most of the time, her stomach was either hungry or brought eaten food back up during her unknown expedition.

Lorelai Gilmore wasn't stupid-she had bought some food along the way, knowing she'd starve to death if she didn't. Lorelai also slept whenever she could, which wasn't very long, but she was on a tight mental schedule.

She had to find somewhere to start a new life soon, right?

The thunder bellowed, causing Lorelai to jump as she clutched her stomach tighter, trying not to throw up. She was so sick of doing that, but that was her body's' way of telling her that she needed to rest.

Although her body screamed at her to fall to the ground, she didn't listen. Lorelai didn't care about what anyone or anything had to say. She was fending for herself now. No matter how scary that sounded, she had to choice.

She was terrified- mainly of the necessities she had to take care of like: finding a home, finding a job, getting into a school - yet she was scared of her surroundings as well. She didn't want to be prudent, but she was worried someone or something would linger out of the darkness. She was worried that thing would be her mother.

Suddenly, Lorelai felt like the acid in her stomach was burning through, causing her to stand still, and clutch her stomach tightly, hoping that it would work. She was completely distracted from her future, from the darkness, and from her mother as she tried to find a way to calm her erupted stomach down. Because of this, she didn't see a green, pickup truck slow down right in front of her.

At the sound of a car door opening, Lorelai looked up at the vehicle, wincing at the fact that all of her prudent fears from minutes earlier, may come true. She couldn't see anything, but a hooded person, probably a man, carrying an umbrella, racing to her side. Lorelai hoped that this man's intentions were good as she formed her hands into fists, ready to defend herself.

He ran up to her, almost too close for comfort, shouting over the explosion of thunder, "Do you need a ride!?"

She froze as she heard the man's voice...It was no man, the voice obviously belonged a teenage boy. She unclasped the fists she had forcefully made, hearing the obvious tone of care in his voice. Lorelai had an immediate urgency to get a look of his face, even just a small peak.

"I'm okay," Lorelai heard herself command, even though she didn't agree with it, "I don't really feel like getting kidnapped tonight, but thanks anyways."

The young boy looked over at her deeply with emotion, scanning the small details on her face. Looking into her light blue eyes, he saw she was in fear, obviously of him.

"The storm's getting really bad," He replied as he hovered the umbrella over her, "I can drive you back home…"

The boy saw her beautiful, peach-colored skin turn into a ghostly white in a matter of seconds. What was wrong with the word home? The boy scanned her face carefully, oblivious to what a bad home life was, trying to figure it out. The classic thought of abuse first came to mind, causing his expressionless features to form into a small frown. The boy immediately wanted to help her.

"I'm not going home," the girl replied uneasily, "I don't really know where I'm going to be honest. So, there's no place you can take me."

"At least get out of the storm," he said, trying to figure out a way to convince her to let him help, "Do you like David Bowie? Well, I got him playing in my car so...um...yeah. If you like him, you can come…"

The girl's lips formed into a small smile, causing him to feel warm, "David Bowie...Are you the only boy who actually appreciates him or did I just run into an Amy Heckerling movie?"

He got puzzled by her reference, which he didn't like at all. Instead of trying to figure out the obvious joke, he just sighed in confusion, trying to end the conversation, "Are you coming or staying?"

"Coming," She blurted out as her eyes urged to get one look of his face, "Just, please don't take me home.."

He frowned, "How would I know where you live? I think you're safe."

Lorelai sighed as she shrugged her shoulders, "Have you ever met my mother? God, you could be a spy from the secret organization of maids, trying to find me, and smuggle me back home."

In a normal situation he would've rolled his eyes, but instead, he nodded out of politeness, more confused than he was before, "Okay...I guess we will discuss it in my truck…"

"Oh, dirty!"

He wanted to punch himself for saying something like that. That wasn't what he meant, at all, "That's not what I meant...never in a millions years…I…"

Lorelai covered her mouth with her right hand, laughing, interrupting him during his mental breakdown, "Oh, my god, Andrew Clark. Relax! I'm coming because I'm cold."

The boy noticed she was clutching her stomach with a bloody, left hand, wondering how she could be so optimistic at the moment. What was happening to her and why did she appear so happy about it?

"What's your name?" The boy yelled over the storm as the rain pelted his face.

"Ms. Freeze!" She shouted desperately over the wind as she clutched her stomach tighter, wondering if the nausea would ever stop.

"What?" The boy shouted again, "Were you being sarcastic?"

"Somewhat!" she admitted, "Can I tell you once we get in your truck!? I'm freezing!"

He nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist, causing her to jump with shock. She knew he was trying to escort her to the passenger's side of the truck, but it was a weird gesture coming from a stranger.

"Shut up, I'm trying to help you," The boy replied as if he were reading her thoughts.

"Help or abuse?" She kidded as they reached her car door, trying not to slip as she made her way inside the vehicle.

For the first time in days, Lorelai actually took a moment to rest, giving her a feeling that everything was finally going to be okay. What if this boy was actually trying to help her? What if he helped her find someplace to live? Not with him, of course, but maybe in the area. Excitement immediately rushed through her for the first time in weeks, causing her to rub her stomach. She couldn't wait to start a whole new life with her baby.

The boy came into the car, shutting the door as soon as possible so the rain would not hit her. Slumping in his seat, he quickly fastened his seatbelt, then faced her once more. The hood was still covering his face.

"How long have you been walking?" The boy asked, scanning her face to see what injuries she had. Obviously, nothing serious, but the countless cuts gave him worry.

Lorelai gave him a puzzled look as she used her fingers to count, "That's a good start. I think...since I was two and half years old…"

He gave her a frown, causing her to smile, "I mean, since you left your house. How long have you been walking alone?"

"Well, I slept about three times so...three days ago."

"Three days ago?" He asked in a rather bitter tone, causing her to frown with anger.

"Yes, is that a problem? Is three not a big enough number for you?"

The boy looked away from her, starting the ignition so the lights inside the car would turn on. He wanted a better look at her face. He wanted to see what was happening.

"Can I see your face?" Lorelai blurted out in question, wincing once she did, realizing it was such a Disney princess thing to ask, "I just...want to see who's kidnapping me, that's all."

The boy loudly exhaled as pulled his hood down, revealing his face. He had crazy brown hair that gave him a very dignified look, which Lorelai liked. His hair was a little wavy, but for the most part, straight. He didn't have a very chiseled face since he was only still a teenager, but his cheekbones looked fully formed. He had extremely rosy cheeks, which gave him kind-of mama boy's look, and Lorelai thought it was cute. The boy had light, blue eyes just like Lorelai's: full of kindness and care, yet somewhat sad. His face was almost expressionless at the moment, which Lorelai knew she could fix if they became friends.

"What's your name?" She asked in an awed tone, still struck by his features. He wasn't hot by any means, but he was cute enough where she wanted to pinch his cheeks over and over again.

"Luke," He replied, smiling at the fact that she was gazing at him, "Luke Danes."

She blinked several times before she got out of her trance, smiling politely at the sound of his name, "I'm Lorelai. Lorelai Gilmore."

"I like that name...it's very unique."

"It was my grandmother's," Lorelai admitted, "My father named me after his mom. He thinks she's a remarkable woman. I think so too since she's the devil's spawn to my mother. Well, that's what all my decisions are mainly based off, really."

"I have to admit," Luke said, finally smiling, causing Lorelai to smirk in admiration, "I lost you there."

"You just have to get used to me to fully understand what I'm implying," Lorelai admitted.

"Ahh, I see," Luke said, "So you are kind-of like a mystery woman?"

Lorelai smiled at him, then frowned, realizing they were just strangers, and he could be a possible danger to her. He saw her frown, and realized the same thing as he cleared his throat, going back his original thoughts: helping her get home, "Obviously, you're running away," Luke blurted out, "Are you actually in a predicament or are you one of those teenager girls who feels like no one understands them and wants to start a new life, even though their lives are perfectly fine."

Lorelai shifted in her seat, giving him a very convincing withering stare, "I don't know, you tell me. I'll explain my predicament, and you choose where I go."

"Are you tricking me?" Luke asked, "Are you going to come up with some fake story to make me feel bad, so I can drive you wherever the hell you want, or is this legit?"

"I swear on my soul that this is going to be one hundred percent legit. If you feel that there is some mess up or exaggeration in my story, you interrupt. Deal?"

"Deal," Luke said with a smirk, " And I promise that I won't just tell you to go home. I'll actually listen, and take your situation into consideration. Now, you may tell your story."

Lorelai exhaled heavily, "First of all, you have to understand that this is really hard for me to say, okay? Please don't judge until I'm done, and I'll tell you when that is."

"I promise," Luke said seriously, crossing his heart, causing Lorelai's frown to form into a small smile.

"Okay, so...um...where do I start?" Lorelai thought out loud as she bit her lip, "Oh, yeah...I screwed up."

"What?" Luke asked in a sarcastic tone, "What do you mean by screwed up? Like: I let the dog piss on the lawn or…"

"What did I say about interrupting?" Lorelai asked, appalled that he already broke one of their storytelling rules.

Luke exhaled heavily, "Sorry, but when you start a story with 'I screwed up', it kind of puts people on edge."

"I've been told I'm a good storyteller. Now, shh."

"Fine."

"Shh…"

Luke raised his eyebrows at her to indicate that he was ready for Lorelai to tell her story now, causing her to exhale heavily, nervous about what the stranger would think of her.

"I screwed up," Lorelai repeated, "Because right now...at this very moment...I'm...I'm pregnant."

It was hard to spit out, but it was finally done. It didn't take too much effort, yet some of the Earth's weight waltzed off her shoulders. Lorelai didn't know why, but it did. Even if he thought poorly of her afterwards, she no longer cared. She finally got those two words out of her system.

Luke's mouth dropped as his face slowly formed into a look of shock, "Pregnant? Like, with a baby?"

"No, with a dog," Lorelai spit out sarcastically, "Yes, with a baby!"

Luke itched the back of his head, not really knowing what to say. He believed her since her face gave away a serious look, but it was hard to process, "So...you ran away from home because you're pregnant? No offense, that just shows me you need to be home more."

Lorelai exhaled, "Hey, I'm not done. You talked...again. I thought I was bad, but...jeez, you like to chitchat."

"Go on."

"Well," Lorelai started once again, "I wanted to get an abortion and so did Chris' father…"

"Who's Chris?"

"The man who impregnated me. What other man would be in this story?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to clarify. Go on.."

Lorelai exhaled heavily once more, "Well, we both wanted an abortion since it was best. But, of course, my parents had to be prolife. Chris' parents were too but they understood the circumstances...Anyways, my mother twisted their minds until they were dazed and confused, then attacked. She convinced them to force Chris and I to get married."

Luke started to look uncomfortable as he started to play with his fingers, not making eye contact with her, "So...you're a married woman?"

"Shh…" Lorelai said, raising her finger up to her lips, "I'm getting there. The wedding was scheduled for next Sunday, but I don't love him, at all. I was stupid and I made a mistake, and that doesn't mean I love him. I tried to fight my mother to change her mind, but no one argues with Emily Gilmore, so I ran off. I want to start a new life with my kid, so I can keep going. I didn't want to marry a man I loathe. I know if I did, my parents would have controlled me. I would have had no freedom, only walls built around me, suffocating me until I get crushed."

Luke said nothing as she finished, feeling like he too was suffocating from the car doors around them, "You know, Lorelai Gilmore, I have a perfect place you can live with your baby."

"Wait what?" Lorelai said, startled and confused, "You actually want to help me?"

"It's this little town called Stars Hollow," Luke continued as if she had implied nothing, "I think it's perfect."

 ** _I am so sorry I hadn't updated in awhile. I had been really hard these last few weeks, but I hope you guys are enjoying the story!_**


	3. The Longest Drive

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of it's characters.**_

 _Okay, thank you guys for still reading! It means the world so thank you! Please don't forget to review because you guys know how much I love them_!

For the most part, Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore were silent as they were making their way towards the place he called 'Stars Hollow'. Although she was terrified that he was tricking her into some sort of assault, she was glowing with excitement. Lorelai couldn't wait to start the first chapter of her new life, especially since the unborn baby she was carrying would guide her through it.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose with disgust as she inhaled the vehicle's smell once more, her stomach acid starting to bubble as the stench worsened, burning her nose hairs as she covered it with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked her, breaking their extremely awkward silence, noticing the ghastly look on her face. He hoped there was nothing wrong with him or where they were going. God, he hoped she wasn't about to cry...he didn't know how to comfort people who cried.

Lorelai clutched her stomach with her left hand, nodding politely as she bit her lip, "Yeah, just...nauseous…"

"Do you want me to pull over?" He asked politely, "Or do you want me to keep going? We are only a few miles away..."

"Keep going," Lorelai interrupted as she puffed out her cheeks, hoping to get some air. God, nothing was worse, to Lorelai Gilmore, than getting nauseous. Maybe...just maybe, it was even worse than her mother. No, that was a mental long shot, but it was most definitely a close second.

Then, Lorelai's pale features formed into fifty shades of green, having a deep desire to just explode. A brilliant, five-second-thought-out-plan took into action as she rolled down the passenger's side window, hoping not to erupt before the sheet of glass slid all the way down.

"What are you doing?!" Luke shouted angrily over the sound of the inclining wind, raged that rain was pelting his face once more, "Roll it back up!"

Although he yelled, Lorelai didn't listen. It felt like decades were passing before the mere sheet of glass disappeared from the passenger's side. As she poked her head out of the window, the fresh, rain-scented air overcame her, overwhelming her body. This overwhelming mixture of many different smells caused all the food from Lorelai's stomach to come right back up.

Explaining how she puked is hard for some people to take in, especially for Luke Danes, who has had some bad experiences with ralph, a synonym for barf, in his childhood.

He had a deepening desire to run out of the car, scream, and vomit himself, but Luke had a feeling that he needed to help her, even though he had a severe case of emetophobia.

Although she was 'letting it all out' and he wanted to help, Luke Danes kept driving. He didn't know if it would help her by collecting more air to clear the nausea, or if it would help him by driving away from the trail of vomit as fast as possible.

After about thirty seconds, Luke's equivalent to about twenty minutes, Lorelai finally brought herself fully back into the vehicle, slumping down in the seat from exhaustion. Her mouth tasted like the remains from a garbage truck, and her breath reeked of sickness.

"Can you roll up the window?" Luke asked quietly as the hail kept pelting them, and soaking the seats of the truck.

Lorelai did as told, making sure the window was completely shut before she slumped down in her seat once more. _How come the window took about two seconds to slide up but five years to slide down_?

These were questions she'd never be able to answer.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, keeping his eyes on the road, trying to be more careful driving than usual since there was an unborn child in his truck. He almost had the desire to stick a 'baby on board' sticker to his bumper so people would be somewhat cautious near his vehicle

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah, I just hate vomiting...god. I can still taste it…"

Luke shuddered as his face turned a dark shade of red, "Please, don't describe it. I care, but...I don't want to here the specifics. A simple yes or no answer would do."

"Or a 'roll up the window, Lorelai! It's cold in here" she said, trying her best to mock his voice, causing Luke to laugh from her almost perfect imitation.

"That was pretty good," Luke smirked, hitting the steering wheel with his left hand from laughing so hard, "How did you do that?"

"I'm a comedical genius," Lorelai kidded as she tried as hard as she could to not taste the bitter breathes she exhaled, "You should hear my Betty White impression."

"Let's hear it," Luke implied, his laugh starting to die once he realized he should pay more attention to the road, "I really want to hear it."

"Well, you can't,"

"Why not?"

Lorelai gave him a small smile, "Because I can't just _say_ it. I have to feel the moment. That's when I do my impressions the best. You can't just force someone to do something like that. It has to be timed right."

"What?" Luke asked, starting a rant, "You tell me how amazing your impression is, then you won't actually do it? It's like implying you're sad, and when the person asks you _why_ , you tell them they can't know."

Lorelai laughed at his metaphor, "Oh, my god! That is so true!"

"Can you do your impression then?"

Lorelai used her fingers to stroke her chin, a symbolism of thought, then smiled before she said, "No."

Luke saw her trying to get the disgusting taste out of her mouth by licking her teeth, which, he knew, would only make it worse. Smirking, he said, "You know you can rinse out your mouth with my water, right? Just, as long as you spit it out the window…"

Before he could finish, he saw the distant lights of Stars Hollow, causing him to smile, "Hey, um...nevermind. We are almost there."

"To Stars Hollow?"

"Yup, we will be there in about a minute. Get ready to see the weirdest, smallest town you've ever seen. Then, tell me what you think," Luke implied with a huge smile on his face, causing Lorelai to know how much he felt tied towards it.

"Can I at least rinse out my mouth first?" Lorelai asked, "Because, you offered and you can't back down on an offer. Well, not in my book, anyways…"

"Sure," he said grumpily, "Just be quick. I don't want you to miss it because you're back washing."

"Because of your driving," Lorelai corrected as she started to roll the window down, "If it wasn't for your driving their wouldn't be vomit on the side of your truck."

"Wait...what?!" He yelled as the drizzling rain started to get his truck wet once more.

She laughed, "Oh, my god, I'm just joking. Take a chill pill, Dr. Phil. Oh, my god, I just rhymed. I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!"

"Lorelai!"

She quickly backwashed outside of the car window, not wanting to miss what Luke craved her to see so badly. He was giving her a ride...the least she could do was look at a small town for him.

Lorelai quickly rolled the window up once she was done, slumping in the car seat as she did so, "I don't see anything…"

"Wait one more second," Luke commanded, causing her to only want to talk more.

"When?"

"A minute."

"When?"

"Soon."

"When?"

"Never."

Lorelai smiled at him, sensing his irritability, "Can I ask you a question?"

He groaned, finally glancing his eyes away from the road to look at her. For the first time that night, he realized how beautiful she really was. He loved the way her dark hair waved, the way her smile seemed to have a smile, and, especially, how her light blue eyes matched his. This caused him to choke up, "Wh..what?"

"When will we be there?" She smiled mischievously at him, causing him to smirk. She was surprised by his reaction since she had hoped he'd scowl.

The sudden show of lights answered her question as they drove through the first road of Stars Hollow. To Luke, the defined, small-town, christmas-look (even though it was nowhere near that holiday) was normal to him. The dysfunctional town that he hoped Lorelai would stay in felt more like home than just a house. It felt like a sanctuary that didn't exist anywhere else on Earth.

Luke glanced over at Lorelai, who was gazing at the small town with such intrigue, it caused him to form a delicate, small smile. He knew she was picturing herself starting a new life here, and that made him happy. He wanted to be a part of it, or at least, help her.

"Do you like it?" Luke asked her as he continued to drive the same ten-mile speed limit.

Still gazing at the town, she answer in a small voice, "I love it."

Before he could cheer at himself for making _her_ almost speechless, Luke parked in front of the small shop with the sign _William's Hardware_ on it, causing her to frown, "Oh no, this is the part where you kidnap me, isn't it?"

He chuckled, "No, I thought you needed a place to stay since you're Jack Kerouac-ing your life at the moment."

She gave him an appreciative smirk, "Thank you so much for doing all of this. You really didn't have to, but I don't really feel comfortable staying the night with a stranger…"

"I totally understand that," Luke frowned, interrupting her, "I really do, but I would feel less comfortable if you were to sleep outside or in a hotel, which I know you can't afford. Look, if it makes you feel any better, my dad's in there…"

Lorelai nodded, giving a long look towards the town, "But where will I actually stay? No offense, I don't really want to stay at your place forever…"

"I actually have a few ideas about what to do for you," Luke replied, "I know the house won't be top notch, nor will the job pay a lot…"

"Wait, you can find me a job?" Lorelai asked in excitement.

"Yeah," He smiled, "I have that power in this town, trust me. I'm very well-known here."

"Because you help people a lot?"

"No," Luke laughed, "because everyone knows everyone here, and people will take care of anyone who lives here. They will take care of you, trust me. All you have to say to anyone is that Luke Danes sent you and you are all good."

"Really?"

"Really."

Lorelai bit her lip, very uncomfortable asking the question she was about to ask, "Can I spend one night here? I haven't gotten the right amount of sleep in a few days…"

"Of course," He smiled, "Just, it might take you a few moments to adjust to the town...okay? Before you go to bed, I have to explain everything to my dad, okay?"

"Deal." Lorelai agreed. "Let's go!"

 _ **Thank you so much for reading! I promise the next few chapters will be way more interesting. I just had to get started with these so you would understand what was happening! Please review this chapter because (as you all know) I absolutely love to hear what you guys have to say! Thank you!**_


	4. wherefore, art thou, Willaim

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of it's characters (god, I wish I did).**_

 _Sorry the last chapter was so boring, I just needed to describe how they got to Stars Hollow. The next few chapters will be so much more interesting, I promise_.

As Lorelai followed Luke towards the front door of the hardware store, he sighed, looking over at her with the keys desperately dangling in his hand, "My dad's going to flip."

"Okay, all you have to do is explain what happened," Lorelai said sarcastically as her eyelids were trying as hard as possible not to shut from exhaustion, "But, talking to him is the only way I can go to sleep."

He sighed, knowing she was right. Finally noticing the giant, purple bags under her eyes, he realized how exhausted she really was. The look on her face said: _God, I don't want to hurt like this anymore_.

He understood, causing Luke to exhale heavily as he unlocked the front door of his father's shop. He knew better than anyone that his father was waiting for him upstairs, impatiently sitting in a chair as he tapped his fingers on his forearm. That's what he always did.

Walking into the store, Lorelai almost gasped with shock. It looked nothing like a hardware store. It almost looked like a diner that needed a lot of shelves full of tools removed...and a lot of cleaning.

An old, dusty garage smell overwhelmed her nostrils as she used her sleeve to cover her nose from the stench. Lorelai knew that she couldn't mention this to Luke since he'd have the reaction from a normal Febreze commercial; totally unaware of the smell that he had gotten so used to.

Instead of Luke's father being upstairs like he expected, he was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, waiting for his only son to return home. His arms were crossed. He was obviously unpleased.

As soon as he saw his son, Mr. Danes stood up, his arms still crossed, thinking of one hundred ways to punish him. But, as soon as he saw Lorelai, his angered face formed into a small frown.

He knew his son way too well to believe he did something like that. But, his mother had just died months before...his sister changed so why shouldn't Luke?

"What the hell…" he started, but something in the back of his throat stopped him from continuing to yell.

He knew if his wife were still alive, she'd scream at Mr. Danes to stop yelling and let her children explain. Especially, if it were Luke. Since he always went out of his way to help people he barely knew, his mother gave him pity. Now, his father knew he should do it as well.

Mr. Danes gave a withering stare towards the girl next to him, expecting a shiver of fear in return. Instead, she surprised him by giving a very confident glare.

Boy, did she stare him down, seeing if there was a way to twist his mind with comebacks or remarks, and he knew that's what she was doing. _Defiantly Luke's type_ , he thought with a tiny smirk on his face, _Maybe that's why he brought her here..._

The first thing Lorelai noticed when she looked at the man, was the fact that he seemed exhausted...sad even. Just like her. The tired eyes and dark, purple bags under them gave that away.

As he stared her down, he noticed that she had the same sad blue eyes as his deceased wife, causing his angry stare to turn almost expressionless.

"Explain, Luke," Mr. Danes commanded, "Right now."

His son fidgeted with his fingers, almost like they were a new innovation that he had yet to figure out, "Um...well...Lorelai here…"

"I was stranded for three days," she interrupted, causing all eyes in the dark room to glare at her, "I ran away from home and hadn't slept or eaten a decent meal in three days. I've been vomiting and vomiting, and everything hurts. Then tonight, your son found me in the rain and helped me without any thought," she blurted as Luke gave her a very appreciative glare, " I told him my predicament, and he thought I could stay here one night before going away, okay? So, please, William. One night, then I'm gone."

The man she called William blinked at her several times, trying to process the speed she had just talked, "How do you know my…"

"Your store is named _William's Hardware_ ," Lorelai stated obviously, "I think I get the gist."

Luke could sense that his father had a sudden connection with Lorelai, which freaked him out, especially since his father hadn't really talked to anyone since his sister, Liz, ran away weeks earlier. Luke cleared his throat, deeply wanting an exhausted Lorelai to go to bed, "So, dad...can she stay the night?"

William bit his lip, looking down at the ground, "Well, tell me your predicament. If I think it's a good reason, I'll let you stay. But, if it's stupid or just plain old dumb, I'll have to let you go."

Lorelai rolled her eyes, which caught both of the men off guard. Usually, a young lady didn't act that way. This difference in character caused Luke to feel extremely attracted towards the young girl. Especially since, he didn't act like his gender either. He wasn't as wild as the male species stereotypically were.

"Father like son," Lorelai murmured under her breathe, "Fine, since I've already told this story like eight times, I'll just do it again…"

Lorelai explained to William her predicament, definitely not forgetting to mention the fact that her parents were forcing her into marriage, the part where Luke initially agreed to help her.

She explained everything, except the fact that she was pregnant. Nothing screamed disappointment like that statement. The concept of having a child was still so new to her, scaring her like a horror film.

Although it didn't seem like it, she was still wallowing around the stage of shame, wishing she had just obeyed what her parents asked: Be proper, graduate high school in the top of her class, and go to Yale. Since it was _her_ family, that lifestyle wasn't very hard. Why didn't she just listen? Why didn't she just make loads of money by the snap of a finger? Maybe, that wasn't where she was meant to be.

Honestly, she had no idea how she felt about the situation, but all she knew, was that she was in it. And, she had to try the most in her entire life to make the best out of it because she had to act like an adult. She _needed_ to be an adult.

Maybe, to become more like one, she had to tell William every detail, pouring out all of her thoughts and worries so she'd get the sympathy vote. Maybe, she didn't want the sympathy vote. What if she wanted to do everything on her own, so she could actually feel successful? Either way, it was her choice, and she would have to deal with the consequences.

William stared down at the tired, young girl, seeing through the many worries and secrets that were buried deep inside her. At that moment, he could sense she needed help, or at least, a kick start to help her start a new life, but he had many minor, but major, questions that he needed answered. Only some of which would be queried tonight.

"Why are your parents forcefully marrying you to this man?" William asked, half-knowing what answer she was going to cry out, "Is there some sort of reason?"

Lorelai gulped down an apple, trying to figure out some excuse so she could go to bed, "Well, do you know that giant, scary mansion at Hartford?"

"No," Willaim answered, while Luke replied, "Yes."

Mr. Danes whipped his head, facing his son with a questionable, but angried, stare, "How do you know which mansion it is? Every house is close to a mansion there."

Luke gave his father a quick smirk, "Dad, it's that house people, mostly kids, said was haunted. It was, I think, a fifth grade rumor. Remember, I told Liz about the rumor, and she got so scared…" he paused, seeing his father's expressionless face turn into a frown. Luke winced at the fact that he had just hit a very sore subject.

Lorelai nodded, agreeing with Luke's statement, unaware of William's change in expression, and almost laughing at the memory of the rumor that _she_ started, "Well, It's that stone-walled mansion at the end of Hartford."

William still gave them a blank stare.

"It has so much Ivy on the walls, Wrigley Field thought they'd hand over that legacy to the mansion…" Lorelai kidded, getting no reaction from the two people in front of her, "Okay, just picture a really scary mansion, otherwise we'll never get out of here."

William nodded, "Fine, just tell me the rest of your predicament. I don't really care if I get the 'whole picture' of the story. I'm old, but my mind still works."

"Well, my family claims to have good blood," Lorelai started, making up more impulsive things on the way, "And they think that _we_ are the best…"

William cleared his throat, "If you aren't going to tell me your actual dilemma, I'm going to make you sleep with the wolves," he started, getting a little sad that she would lie to him, "I think I already have an idea about what you're going through, but I need to hear it from you. Do you understand?"

Lorelai sighed, "They wanted us to marry because I am pregnant with his child, but I don't love him...at all." She didn't know why she added that last part in. Maybe, it was because she didn't want to seem like a slut, proving her dilemma was a mistake, or because Luke was in the room, standing right next to her, causing herself to want to hold his hand... _that sounded weird. God, I just met him_.

"Then, why did you have sex if you don't love him?" William asked, "No offense young lady, but you made a lot of life-changing mistakes in your story…"

"Dad!" Luke yelled, interrupting his extremely rude question, "You can't just ask somebody that! It's her life, not yours!"

Months earlier, before all of this chaos happened, Lorelai would've punched Luke's arm in gratitude, and would've said something like, _Ahh, thanks, buddy. Please, take it from here_. Then, watch his father yell at him instead of her, which at the moment, seemed cruel and unfair. She had to be an adult now, right?

"Yes, but if she stays in this household…" Willaim argued back at his son, a small vein starting to pop out of his forehead.

"For one night…" Luke retorted, rolling his eyes just like Lorelei did moments earlier.

"Then, she'll have to explain this one thing to me…"

"I know," Lorelai murmured during their small argument, causing both of them to quickly shut their mouths.

William gave her a hard, cold withering stare, challenging her to say the rest of that sentence, "What do you mean by I know?"

Lorelai exhaled heavily, "I know I made a lot of mistakes in that story, okay? But, what was I supposed to say? How I was so perfect and my parents villainous? No, that's not how it went! I was there, okay? I know I made the wrong choices, and I have to face lifetime consequences for it. But William, please let me stay one night so I can start to help myself, please."

As he was processing how fast she spoke, a little part of him was impressed. Minutes earlier, he thought of her as irresponsible and immature. Now, all those thoughts were starting to fade. He was realizing that she made a mistake, and wanted to make the best out of it. He also realized that's why his son wanted to help her.

"Go to bed," William commanded her, "I know you're tired, and you and your baby need sleep. But, we are not finished discussing this, and it will be continued sometime tomorrow. Now go. Luke stay here for a minute to let the girl powder her nose."

Lorelai gave him a look of gratitude, sighing with relief as millions of quick thoughts flew through her head, "Thank you so much. It will only be one night, I swear."

William smiled, nodding as she slowly made her way up the stairs.

Mr. Danes saw Luke's eyes long to go up there with her. To do what? He didn't know. Probably to help her, which is actually what action he desperately wanted to accomplish.

As soon as he heard the door upstairs go to a close, he asked his son, "Where did you find her?"

"Foxborough," Luke answered, "She was all the way in Massachusetts." **(A/N okay, so I did a lot of research about that. It's about 75 miles away from Hartford, which would take about 25 hours to walk. Because of the time sleeping and resting, it takes about three days to walk. Lorelai walked three days before Luke picked her up. You're welcome. Please give me credit for doing this three day research on all the towns in the area + how many minutes it takes to walk a mile + the math + the time it takes humans to walk. Thank you)**.

"Why were you in Massachusetts?" Mr. Danes asked, "I don't care that you helped her. That was nice, but why were you in Massachusetts? You told me you were out doing some errands, then you never came back."

Luke sighed, playing with his thumbs, whispering, "I went to see mom's grave."

William slowly exhaled. He almost forgot how good of a relationship the two them had because he was too busy mourning himself. He almost wanted to hug his son, but he knew that's not the option Luke would've cared for.

When Mrs. Danes got sick, her first request was to be buried in New York, where she was born, next to her parents. William had blindly agreed since he believed she'd get better. But, when she died months earlier, it was hard to actually see her grave often.

Luke couldn't take not seeing her anymore. He wanted to talk to the grave and lay new flowers on it. He wanted to cry and ask god why he took it her. So, he went tonight, finding Lorelai on the way home.

William patted Luke on the shoulder, a sign of forgiveness, "Hey, why don't you give that Lorelai girl a new change of clothes. I'm sure she needs it."

The wind seemed to shift in Luke and William's relationship that moment. They never really talked much, nor would they ever, but they would understand one another much more from that moment on.

Luke nodded at his father, quickly leaving him to go to Lorelai. William was left alone in the dark, smiling. He had a weird feeling about that girl. A very good feeling.

 _ **Hopefully, you guys like this so far. Please don't forget to review!**_


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